Steam is the most famous digital videogames store on PC. It’s not just a digital videogames store as it might seem to your eye, it also acts as a digital rights management(DRM) platform, anti-cheat engine, matchmaker, social networking, and streaming service. Steam has always been this versatile, reason why it’s so famous and reliable.
Steam also enables automatic updates for installed games, in-game chat with friends, the ability to join communities, and allows cloud backups for game save data. Steam has literally been a boon to PC gaming. Steam was initially launched in September of 2003 to integrate with Valve’s games, who are the developers of Steam itself. Until late 2005 Steam was only exclusive to Valve, only later did they open themselves for third-party publishers and developers, and that was when it actually started creating an impact.
As with every other program on Windows, steam being no exception errors are inevitable. Many users have been reporting that they are unable to open steam. That’s quite an irregular error actually, but don’t worry, we have come to the rescue. Follow this guide step-by-step to completely get rid of this issue. You can perform the below-mentioned steps one after the other until you find the fix that works for you.
To prevent these kinds of problems, we strongly recommend you keep your system up to date. This means having the latest available drivers for your graphic card. Manufacturers optimize your specific GPU for the latest games and push out the drivers regularly, that’s why they’re so important. Here are the official links from where you can download the latest drivers, Nvidia https://www.nvidia.com/download/index.aspx, AMD https://www.amd.com/en/support, Intel https://www.intel.in/content/www/in/en/download-center/home.html. Also, have the latest available DirectX version for your system, you can find them here https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/download/details.aspx?id=35. It is also recommended to have the latest version of windows installed to avoid such problems.
Before actually going deep into the roots trying to fix this error, trying every technically possible solution, stop, stop right there. Just check the current server status of Steam. These kinds of errors might occur when the Steam servers are down, remember Steam is also a DRM service, meaning it’s important for it to stay always connected to its servers. You can check the current status of Steam’s Servers here https://steamstat.us/.
Fix 1 Restart your PC:
Remember this, whenever you are facing an issue with any of your devices, simply restart them. This is the first and foremost thing to be done while trying to fix any software or hardware-related issues in your devices. This is the evergreen golden rule, remember to Restart. Once done, mostly you won’t face the error again.
Fix 2 Clear Steam app cache:
Almost every program on your computer creates cached data. This usually allows the application to run with betterment and smoothly the next time you use it. But sometimes this very cached data can be corrupted, leading to such problems the next time you try running the program. It can be simply fixed by erasing the cached data altogether. You can find Steam’s cache data in its installed path itself, usually C drive > Program Files(x86) > Steam > appcache. Before deleting the folder, create a copy of it and store it somewhere else, then delete the folder. Now see if the Steam works as usual. If it does, delete the appcache folder that you have backed up too. Don’t worry about deleting this data because the appcache folder will be recreated again once you start using the Steam application.
Fix 3 Erase Steam’s temporary data:
Sometimes corrupted cache files can be the cause of this issue. You can possibly fix this by erasing the cache data of the particular program completely. You can see your computer’s temporary files by opening Windows Run dialogue box by pressing Windows Key+R, then type in %temp% and hit enter. Find the Microsoft store file and delete it. Don’t worry as these are only temporary files and they will be recreated freshly once you open the specific program again. Once you have done this, see if the error has gone.
Fix 4 Repair/reset Steam:
In some cases, the Application might be broken or hasn’t been installed properly. Windows has an in-built feature to repair/reset installed programs, it is indeed very handy. To do so:
- Open settings. You can use the keyboard shortcut for it, which is Windows Key+I.
- Select the Apps section.
- Select Apps & Features.
- Find the app you are looking to fix, in this case, Steam.
- Click on the three dots and select advanced options.
- Now select the Repair option first and then select Reset.
Doing so should fix your issue and everything should work as it should normally, If not please proceed to the next solutions.
Fix 5 Disable VPN/proxy:
In most cases, a VPN or a proxy slows up your connection generally, But in some cases, it can totally break the connection between certain programs and their servers. Yes, you are protected and still remain private, but at the cost of your network speed or broken application. So it is highly recommended that you disable your VPN/proxy whilst using Steam. This is only a temporary fix. If you still want to use a VPN and have the full speed of your connection, you better get a premium VPN service, there are many premium VPN providers out there, to name a few, Nord VPN, Express VPN, Surf Shark VPN, Tunnel Bear VPN, etc. These premium VPNs are worth your money and they also don’t slow down your connection speeds, at least not as significant as other free VPNs do.
Fix 6 disable your firewall/antivirus:
In some cases, it might be the fault of the firewall of your windows to blame. Or even your anti-virus software. They can be interfering with your downloads, hence slowing them up. What you can do is temporarily disable them. But you must turn them on once the download is complete. Most users won’t find this fix helpful as it might not be the one that is causing the issue, but we have to try every possible fix before we give up.
Fix 7 re-install Steam:
If none of the above-mentioned solutions have worked, I’m afraid that maybe you have completely re-install your Steam launcher. Don’t worry it’s not that big a deal as you can back up your games. Before deleting Steam you can simply backup whichever game you want. To do so:
- Open Steam Launcher.
- On the top left corner, select Steam.
- Select backup and restore games.
- Select backup currently installed programs.
- Select the programs you want to back up.
- Choose a location on your computer to back up them.
- Uninstall the Steam launcher completely.
- Install the latest available version from their official website.
- Once you have installed it and logged back into the same menu as previously you can find restore games.
- Select the location you have previously stored the programs.
You can get the latest version of Steam Launcher on your PC from their official webpage, here’s the direct link https://store.steampowered.com/about/.
Conclusion:
These are 7 simple and straightforward ways to fix Steam not opening. I hope we’ve been of help to you, If weren’t been of help to you, we’re sorry. We suggest you visit Steam’s official support page and contact them for further assistance, here’s the direct link, https://help.steampowered.com.
If you have any other issues regarding any other game, PC software related, or any issues at all, please feel free to let us know via our Facebook or Twitter pages. If you have any other feedback, you also reach us at the above-mentioned platforms. We would love to interact with our readers! Happy Gaming!
Leave a comment